January was so busy I am still catching up. It started with leave from work in the first week, a visit from my sister from Ireland for a couple of weeks that included my mum's significant birthday high tea and then a long weekend holiday in Walhalla at the end of the month. So the month had lots great meals out, time at the beach and the pool, catching up with friends and a few ice creams. I even found a little time for reading books as well as some insightful articles about an unsettled time in politics.
More posts about January can be found at In My Kitchen post, and the Walhalla holiday posts. One outing I had meant to write and still hope to is the NGV Yayoi Kusama exhibition. It was far more amazing than I had expected. Amazing how some bright colours and black dots can make such beauty.
Soba Ramen, Torquay
On New Year's Day we had planned to go to Geelong to see family and then onto the beach. However due to Covid, we went straight to the beach. Firstly we had lunch at Soba Ramen (Shop1/32 Bell St, Torquay VIC 3228)
For starters we had Edamame with sea salt. Char-grilled cauliflower with miso, seven spices and Pan-fried vegetarian gyoza with soy dipping. Then we shared the Vege Ramen Plate: miso flavour noodle, nasu tempura, corn, croquette, seaweed salad. All the food was delicious, especially the cauliflower and gyoza. The ramen plate was lovely with big slabs of crispy tempura vegetables and a big pile of noodles but I would have loved more salad and for less mayo on the crispy croquette. I loved my refreshing Sober Bitter - Yuzu soda. Sylvia was pleased with her sparkling apple juice.
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Frenchy's Icecream, Torquay
After lunch we had a glorious New Year's Day walk along Whites Beach. Then back to Frenchy's Icecream (17 The Esplanade, Torquay VIC 3228). It was busy but we didn't have to wait long. I had a great intense vegan chocolate ice cream.
Frenchy's Icecream, Torquay II
Sylvia went for the double English toffee ice cream and fruits of the
forest scoops. She wasn't so keen on the fruits one that tasted too
much of artificial flavouring but she loved the toffee. We ate it
overlooking the front beach.
I wish I could say there have been lots more visits
to the beach and the pool but opportunities have been scarce since I
finished my summer holidays at the end of the first week of January.
Son in law, Melbourne Central, CBD For Christmas I gave Sylvia a third pair of ear piercings. But it had to wait until after the day because I could not be there on Christmas morning puncturing her ears! So it meant a trip to the city and somewhere for lunch. We love the convenience of Son in Law, on the ground floor of Melbourne Central, near the corner of Elizabeth and LaTrobe Streets. It is quick, casual and you can get a cheap bite. The fried tofu bao are $7.50 and the sweet filled bao are $7.80. This is a lot to offer but their food is also the cutest!
Sylvia had a hello kitty tofu bao with the cucumber, coriander and tamarind sauce but no peanuts (not pictured). She also wanted to try their new crispy fried broccoli side dish. I had other ideas for lunch but could not resist a sweet bao. Sylvia had a hello kitty sweet bao with jam filling. It was a little too much jam but she could not resist getting the hello kitty set. I had the minion bao filled with nutella and banana. So good. So cute. of course I tasted the broccoli and it was delicious.
Fish Bowl, QV, CBD
After Son-in-law, we went to my choice of lunch place. The big bowls of vegies, grains and proteins at Fishbowl. I went to a franchise in the QV shopping centre on Red Cape Lane off the corner of Swanston and Little Latrobe streets. I had the Tofu Boys Bowl which on the website is described as tofu, kale, carrot, cucumber, edamame, shallots, roasted sesame dressing, tamari almonds, crispy shallots ($12.90). Mine also had a big scoop of avocado, which was perhaps unnecessarily huge. Perhaps I chose it as an extra. However it was a lovely bowl of healthy food.
Daikokuten, Hawthorn East
After discovering Daikokuten (398 Tooronga Rd) on the Onigiri map, we were delighted to return while on the other side of town. Sylvia returned to their onigiri which again was amazing. I had the delightfully named Forbidden Garden Poke Bowl ($27) with black rice, nori and avocado, pickled vegetables, cherry tomato, edamame, mixed leaf with sesame dressing, and purple sweet potato croquette with sriracha mayo. It came with salmon or kinoko mushroom but I asked for the fried tofu instead of the mushroom and the staff were accommodating. It was as amazing as their onigiri.
1985 Kafe, Clayton South
After we had lunch at Daikokuten, we headed out to 1985 Kafe (59 Springs Road) to meet Yav and her daughter before their family moved out of Melbourne. We all enjoyed checking out the sweet treats at the counter. They were not cheap at $10- $12 for one serve but the decorations were so gorgeous that it was a fine way to wish our friends good luck with moving house. We were tempted by the little Minions on the mango shortcake and the Totoro faces on the matcha dessert with red bean filling.
1985 Kafe, Clayton South II
The red velvet latte was not available so Sylvia had the Strawberry iced matcha with the cute icy pink teddy bear on top. She also had the Banoffee tiramisu which came decorated on top with a toffee covered slice of banana and an adorable biscuit bear (or beaver?). I had the avocado cheesecake with a butterfly pea soda. Sylvia loved hers. Mine were good but the cheesecake was a bit more creamy and less cheesy than I like and the drink was cute and refreshing but surprisingly lacking in sweetness.
Barklys Kitchen, Brunswick
The viral pasta in a cheesy bread bowl at Barklys Kitchen (63 Sydney Road) had been on Sylvia's radar for a while. She was very pleased to finally go thereWe shared the Strawberry daiquiri (fresh strawberries, strawberry syrup, lemon juice and sprite - $12) and Cheese arancini with pesto mayo and balsamic glaze ($16.90). I had the Barklys healthy salad (spinach, pumpkin, semi dried tomatoes, goat cheese, pine nuts and lemon basil dressing $19.90) and Sylvia had the Green pesto rigatoni served as the famous cheese pasta in cob bread ($30.90). The arancini was fantastic and the salad was nice. I had a taste of Sylvia's bread bowl and found it a bit too creamy but she really loved it.
Lunch at my parents, Geelong
We visited my parents soon after my sister arrived to visit from Ireland. Lunch was a simple but delicious meal at home made up of zucchini and capsicum quiche, arancini and my sister's green salad. There was much to catch up on around work and politics and kids.
I have also written about the fancy family get together at my parents for my mum's birthday high tea.
Paddock Bakery Geelong
After lunch my parents' kitchen table, we went for a drink and dessert at Paddock (3 Mackey St). The bakery is in a large old warehouse in the Federal Mills complex north of the city centre of Geelong. It was a warm day and very pleasant eating by the large window that opened to a view of green leafy trees. I had the black forest danish. It was nice but not quite as I had expected. It was a mixture of fresh and stewed cherries on chocolate custard. I wanted more fresh cherries and more chocolate. But that is a personal preference and it was really very nice. My dad had a homer simpson style glazed doughnut, Sylvia had a creme brulee doughnut, and both my mum and my sister had a croissant. A plain croissant is such a joy when the baking is so good!
Federal Mills complex, Geelong
I really love how the re-imagining of the early Twentieth Century woollen mill precinct harnesses the beauty of the old red brick warehouses for innovative uses - cafes, community organisations, a distillery, businesses etc.
Geelong Vintage Markets, Federal Mills
After our drinks and pastries at Paddock, we all went to check out the some of the rustic, and quirky offerings at the Geelong Vintage Markets. My sister was most amused at a vintage Humphrey bear toy with a pull and play cord because the kids tv character never spoke. But she and my parents couldn't stay long. Sylvia and I stayed to browse at length, enjoying retro signs, antique furniture, groovy clothes, gorgeous kitchenalia and lots more. See above and below photos.
On the telly:
When we have been hot, tired and/or collapsed in front of the aircon, we have spent time watching television. One of the most interesting shows was New Amsterdam. It is a 2018 hospital drama with a medical director, Max Goodwin, who is passionate about change to be more inclusive. He is a bit reactive rather than strategic but I love how he tries new ideas when he sees inequities. Even if his initiatives don't work they often offer insight into what system change might look like.
We have also seen some other great tv. Monty Don's Secret history of British gardens was so beautiful and fascinating. I swooned to see the charm of the Bloomsbury groups art when the Charleston house was featured among the gardens. My Sister's Keeper was an interesting film that offered insights into the moral dilemma of children conceived to give biological support to another child's life. I tried watching The Zone of Interest but was too tired to cope with the subtitles and subtleties around Rudolph Hess's family life.
Lastly we binge watched The Great, an exciting innovative tv series that springboards off an historical moment (Catherine the Great's marriage and subsequent coup of her husband, Peter, who had inherited the throne) to tell an "occasionally true story" that is packed with elegance, brutality, satire, fun, and humour. It makes one pause to think about whether it could be true and what if it was. It explores power, love, politics, sexism, tradition and progress in ways that filled me with awe and laughter. Russia in the Eighteenth Century looks magnificent with spectacular architecture and costumes. Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult are passionate and hilarious as Catherine and Peter.
Fluffy Torpedo, Brunswick
I was craving ice cream after reading "11 new and underrated ice-cream spots for this sizzling hot day" on 17 Jan. Among the places selling amazing ice cream, were favourites of ours: Fluffy Torpedo and Luthers Scoops. We could not agree which one to visit so I got the Milk chocolate with salt and vinegar chips icecream from Fluffy Torpedo. (213 Sydney Rd) It was lovely and creamy with the crushed crisps dialling down the sweetness of milk chocolate. A scoop of ice cream, chocolate and crisps is like the ultimate junk food.
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Graffiti and political media
Once I had my Fluffy Torpedo ice cream, we walked to Luthers for Sylvia to buy her an ice cream there. I didn't take photos of the ice cream but I did photograph nearby graffiti: "Baa baa black sheep, have you any brain cells?" At least it was more creative than some of words painted on walls that show people's frustration with the current political situation.
January is a time where there is a lot of soul searching around politics, especially in Australia where we have summer holidays, and in the USA this year with the change of government. The mainstream media has been intense but unsatisfying. I have been finding BlueSky helpful for discovering more small independent news outlets and commentators (You can see some in the list of links below). Substack has some great political blogs. The more I read, the more that commentators emerge with their own personalities. One of my favourite moments was when David Marr and Laura Tingle deviated from an insightful political conversation on ABC RN's Late Night News as David commented on Laura's "disdainful cat".
I want to know more!
NGV Yayoi Kusama exhibition
As well as the top photo, I am sharing this photo from one of the infinity mirror installations in the Yayoi Kusama exhibition at the NGV on St Kilda Road. It was lots of fun, despite some queues. Her work inspires so much awe and wonder but always has a warmth and passion underlying the beauty. I hope to share more photos soon. After the exhibition, Sylvia and I went for a drink and cake. I have written up our trip to the amazing Tori's bakery cafe.
David Lynch Reflections:
With the death of David Lynch, I have reflected on my mixed feelings about his work. They are both amazing and disturbing. I loved the quirky town in Twin Peaks tv series, especially straight-laced Agent Cooper (Kyle McLachlan) and his love of cherry pies at the diner. He shared the viewer's innocent horror at the twisted tale. While watching the show I had frightening nightmares and even now I am not sure if it was in the tv show or my dreams that I saw the man named Bob going down the drain of a kitchen sink. Yet I bought the soundtrack for its meserising ethereal music. Even more terrifying was watching the film Blue
Velvet. I remember pausing the video in my bedroom (I can't think why I watched it there) and finding my siblings elsewhere in the house and begging them stay up because I was so scared that I needed company at the end of the film.
Celebrations and commemorations
There have been so many changes in approach to Invasion day aka Australia day on 26 January. I find it now too controversial to feel comfortable about celebrations any more. We were out of town on the holiday long weekend and did not see much sign of celebrations. I was interested to see how Woolworths dealt with it. A poster (above) that could be seen by some as celebrating the day and by others as just celebrating the Aussie summer. I chose to focus on enjoying the Australian flag made of food.
I saw more interesting celebrations from the USA. The article by Pinch of Yum about My favourite non-alcoholic beers was fun to read. I really like how there are more and more articles on adult alternatives to drinking alcohol. We also watched some of the FireAid concert to raise money for rebuilding communities after the LA Wildfires. My highlight was Stevie Nicks singing "Landslide". It gave me chills. Billie Eilish was also lovely as she performed her sweet music in a way that looked like she was in an underground folk club than in a stadium. survivors. more on celebrations from america in unexpected ways
In the News
I have been reading the news too much when I have so much to note here. January saw some crazy local stories such as the hiker who survived on berries, creek water and 2 muesli bars when lost for 2 weeks in Kosciuszko National Park, and the house sliding down a hill in Dromana due to coastal erosion. Other national news was about the ongoing political handwringing and the Grampians bushfires threatening homes, wildlife and Indigenous rock art sites. Further afield were the terrible LA Wildfires, the cautious celebration of a Gaza ceasefire and concerns about a Trump presidency. Here are a few interesting articles:
Australia leases US firebombing aircraft in the northern winter. So what happens when LA burns in January? (changing seasons could leave Australia less international support to deal with natural disasters such as bushfires) in The Age, 9 January 2025.
Scorched earth: the precarity of living on a burning planet (LA wildfires and the Trump presidency) by Marisa Kabas in the Handbasket, 9 January 2025.
Belling the cat: between the lines (Christopher Pyne on LNP nuclear policy), Amy Reimikis in The Australia Institute newsletter, 10 January 2025.
A Firestorm of miinformation (about the rejection of fact-checking, experts and science) by Lucy Hamilton on Substack, 10 January 2025.
NACC finds no corruption, spends 140m to date, The Klaxon, 12 January 2025.
Robert Reich was worried but seeing reasons for reassurance on the eve of the Trump presidency: Tomorrow will be a shameful day, 19 January 2025 but by the time he wrote about Trump's first week: the Real Story. 26 January, he described it as a "catastrophe for vulnerable people. But the biggest story was the startling initial moves from democracy to oligarchy". Check his substack for more commentary.
Oklahoma immigration attorney urges public to know their rights (President Trump’s immigration policies have sparked fear and uncertainty for many undocumented immigrants), in News on 6, 27 January 2025.
Trump baselessly blames DEI and Democrats for Washington DC plane crash, in The Guardian, 31 January 2025.
Ideas and insights on podcasts
Who gets to shape the story? Reporting on the conflict in the Middle East ( with The Guardian’s Nour Haydar (wise insights into journalism and its biases with a focus on Palestine reporting), ABC Radio National Big Ideas, 5 December 2024
History and narrative, (Poses the idea that America was invented rather than discovered) by Mariana Imaz-Sheinbaum on ABC RN's The Philosopher's Zone, 16 January 2025.
The vicious cycle of fear and anxiety and how it traps society, (with a focus on how it affects leadership and politics) on ABC RN's Future Tense, 17 January 2025.
Gregory Smith's re- introduction to the world
(from 10 years as a homeless hermit in the forest to academic at the
University of Sydney) - Conversations podcast from ABC radio, 13
December 2016.
And finally, not a podcast but a thoughtful blog post by Gregory Smith from the above podcast:
A braver man than I (reflections on the power of words to inflict hurt and change the narrative such as homelessness as a "lifestyle choice" and using "boat people" instead of "refugee") on Dr Gregory P Smith's blog, 10 January 2025
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